W. Jerry Murray, AIA NCARB
Vice President
Rooney Clinger Murray, Architects
Findlay, Ohio
     

Imagine that you are traveling in an unfamiliar community. Business or pleasure, you are far from home and your family doctor. But you know that something is not right with your body. Is it the flu or are you just tired? Are the pains related to last month's surgery or today's chili? What do you do?

Now imagine the future. You are traveling and you need health care. Your appointments have been booked months in advance so you need something quick and affordable. Dialing the toll free number on the back of your Smart Card, you find that there is a Physicians Plus Urgent Care Center only a few miles away.

Pulling into the parking lot, you recognize the signature architecture and Physicians Plus logo. Walking into the front entrance, you acknowledge the Hostess but to save time, seat yourself at a self-registration station in the Virtual Room. After swiping your Smart Card, the computer recognizes your personal data, and you simply add your symptoms and choose between seeing a nurse practitioner or doctor. Soon you are escorted into a Diagnostic room where the nurse practitioner uses your Smart Card to read your medical history.

Your blood pressure is elevated. Your smart card records reveal that you have a history of high blood pressure but have discontinued your medications. You are prescribed 50 mg of Hyzaar, which is dispensed from the on-site pharmacy, and told to have your blood pressure checked the next day. The next morning on the way out of town, you pull into the Physicians Plus Drive-in Lab where a lab tech takes your blood pressure and records the information on your Smart Card. All without ever leaving your car. You depart for home with a sense of comfort that you were able to receive treatment with confidence and convenience.

Now imagine that this vision of the future of health care is not only possible but exists in Northwest Ohio and soon the entire nation.

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